The Fall
by Caribbean1989
Summary: 'Kili felt Fili shake beside him. Never before had he seen his brother as afraid as now'. Things are not going too well for the Company while passing through Goblin Town. This is a re-post of this story!
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a repost. As it accidentally got deleted (along with all the lovely reviews, favourites and followers...) I am now reposting the story here. Hope you still enjoy it! :-)**

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The moment the words had left his lips, Thorin knew he had made a grave mistake.  
The Goblin King looked at Kili and Fili, who were held down by a horde of goblins a little away from the rest of the Company. The Goblin King had a triumphant expression on his face. "So, you really mean to say that these two are your kin?!" he boomed, his voice echoing off the walls, "well isn't that a treat!" All the surrounding Goblins laughed, the Company had never been so silent.  
Thorin looked over at Fili and Kili in horror. What had he done? Why had he let himself be tempted into blurting out that they were his nephews?

"What do you want with them?!" Thorin yelled.  
"Well, maybe they can tell me why it is that you wish to pass through my kingdom" the Goblin King said with a sneer to Thorin.  
"Stay away from them!" Thorin growled menacingly. The Goblin King merely laughed at him and pretended to be afraid. "You are surrounded by my servants, do you really think you can pull off some stunt here?! No… I am going to have a look at what they're made off".

Kili felt Fili shake beside him. Never before had he seen his brother as afraid as now. It was as if the Goblin King had also seen this.  
"Let's start with Goldilocks over here" he said, his eyes falling on Fili. Thorin yelled all kinds of curses at the King in every language he could think of, but The Goblin King's mind could not be changed. He merely ignored Thorin as if he were nothing more than a breath of wind.

Several goblins grabbed Fili by his arms and shoved him forwards in the direction of their King.  
Up close Fili could smell how foul that large goblin actually stank, but that was not his main concern right now. He looked around anxiously, but no torture machines of any kind were around. What was going to happen to him? What were they going to do to him? He looked around at Kili, who appeared to be thinking along the same lines.

"Bring me their weapons" the King said suddenly, "_all_ of their weapons".  
Several goblins picked up the weapons that were taken off the Company and thrown on the ground, and brought them over to the King, who looked at everything thoughtfully.  
"Well, well, well…." he said, "Let's see what we have here". He rummaged through the weapons, picking them up one by one. He declared several weapons unfit for his purpose, until he picked up Bofur's heavy mattock. "Now, see, this one will do the trick" he said with a malignant smile on his face.

Thorin felt a shock go through him. He had never actually been on the receiving end of that mattock, but when fighting battles next to Bofur he always heard enemies' bones crack ominously when they came into contact with it. He knew that weapon had to hurt and he knew it could cause great damage.

"No! Let him go! " Thorin let his heavy voice boom through the cave, trying to sound as impressive as possible under the current circumstances.  
"Please shut him up" the King commanded with a dismissive wave of his fat hand. The goblins nearest to Thorin were happy to oblige. Several fists hit him in the stomach and on his back and he doubled over gasping for breath, unable to utter another word or even move for some time. He just sat on his knees on the filthy ground, feeling utterly useless and even a little scared.

The Goblin King gave the mattock a test swing in the air. Fili looked horror-struck at the weapon as it swished through the air.. He knew how heavy it was and could only imagine the feeling when it would collide with him. For the first time in his life he felt real, sheer panic. The Goblin King was readying himself to strike, finding out what was the best way to guarantee maximum impact.

Suddenly Fili could no longer take it. With all his might he threw himself backwards, against the iron grips of his captors' hands on his arms. He struggled and fought like a wild horse, but was not able to free himself. On the contrary, because of all his struggling even more goblins were now restraining him, making it impossible for him to move at all.  
The Goblin King looked at him fight, head cocked to the side and a deranged twinkle in his eyes, waiting with the mattock in his hand. "Yeah, you're just what I need" he said just loud enough for Fili to hear him.

Kili had not moved an inch all this time, his eyes wide with fear. Inside he felt he needed to fight, scream, yell, protect his brother, take the blow for him; but he was frozen with fear and unable to move any of his limbs.  
Kili closed his eyes s the Goblin King was preparing to deliver the blow to his brother. He realized there was nothing he could do with all the goblins surrounding him, ready to keep him in check for anything he might think of doing. "I am sorry, brother" he whispered softly.

The Goblin King advanced on Fili, weapon at the ready.  
Fili bowed his head. Some of his braids fell in front of his eyes, obscuring his vision of the advancing Goblin King. He did not mind, he did not need to see it coming. Feeling the strike would be more than enough.

The Goblin King gave the mattock an almighty swing. The blunt side of the weapon hit Fili square in the chest. He let out a terrible scream when he was hit. A wave of shock went through the entire Company and Kili felt like he would faint any moment. "No, no, no, no, no…." he kept repeating like he had gone mental, his voice growing louder and more hysterical with each word. He knew the blow could easily kill his brother.

All the breath was knocked out of Fili when the weapon hit and he felt at least one rib crack. He was thrown backwards by the blow, landing on his back, hurting his shoulders and back on the rocky ground. At least the goblins had let go of him…  
He just stayed were he landed, unmoving and taking panting breaths. His chest was on fire. From the corner of his eye he could see the Goblin King walking up to him again, weapon raised, ready to deliver another blow with the mattock.  
"Now, you want to tell me something?" The Goblin King asked him. Fili looked the King determinedly in the eye. "Never" he growled.  
"As you wish" the Goblin King said as he raised the weapon even higher.

Fili mustered up all his strength as he saw the mattock coming and rolled away to the side, dodging the second blow from the weapon. The mattock landed on the ground with a deafening bang, where only seconds earlier Fili's stomach had still been. That blow would surely have killed Fili, had it hit him.  
The Goblin King was enraged by the miss and advanced on Fili again to right his mistake. Fili, half-lying half-sitting on the ground, eyed the King intently. He could dodge this next blow again, he had just done it as well. He had his eyes fixed on the weapon, calculating where it would hit. When the Goblin King took his swing Fili rolled away again, able to dodge the blow again.

But his attention had been too much on the weapon, forgetting the potential dangers of his surroundings. He had not noticed how close he had come to the edge of the platform they were on. So when he rolled away, he suddenly felt no more ground under his body. In a reflex he was just able to grab a hold of the rocky ledge with his hands, preventing himself from falling into the dark abyss and to a most certain death.

Kili's heart skipped a few beats when he saw his brother fall over the ledge and disappear from his view. "FILI!" he bellowed, fighting off the goblins that were restraining him. With all the power in him he punched and kicked and clawed at the them. Finally being able to free himself, he ran over to the place where his brother had gone over and fell to his stomach on the ground.

He peered anxiously over the ledge, very afraid of what he would see.  
He looked right into Fili's terrified eyes. "Grab my hand!" Kili yelled to his brother, immediately offering Fili his hand. "I… I can't…" Fili stammered painfully. The pain in his chest had gotten immense, his broken rib causing him even more agony.  
"Fili?!" Kili said, panicking.  
Fili felt his strength being drained with every painful breath he took. Every muscle in his body was screaming out in pain. His fingers slowly started to lose their grip on the rocks. Kili slid forward as far as he could in a desperate attempt to pull his brother back up. His fingertips just grazed Fili's fingers, but he was not able to take a hold of his brother's hands. He felt tears well up in his eyes, for he now realized the inevitable was going to happen.

"Be good…" Fili whispered to his brother. Kili stared at his brother with a horrified look on his face. "No… don't do this to me…you can't leave me…" he pleaded. Fili gave him an almost apologetic look before his fingers let go of the rocks, unable to hold on any longer, and sent him in a freefall into the darkness of Goblin Town.

Kili let out a heartbreaking scream that echoed off the walls and reverberated through the caves as he watched his brother fall out of his sight and into the darkness. Several moments later a dull thud from the depths made everyone realize Fili had hit the bottom…

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	2. Chapter 2

Kili felt as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He had just watched his brother plummet to his death. "Oh… no, no, no, no! Fili, come back!" He crawled up into a sitting position, shaking all over, feeling ready to jump off the ledge himself.  
Suddenly he felt a strong hand grab the back of his cloak. He spun round, ready to kill the goblin barehanded that dared touch him at this moment. Instead he looked into Thorin's face. His uncle's face was drained of all its colour and he was lost for words. Kili did not know how Thorin had managed to break free from the goblins, he was just so glad that his uncle was there. Not able to control his emotions any longer, Kili wrapped his arms around Thorin and sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. Thorin did not really know how to deal with these kind of things. He just clumsily wrapped his arms around Kili's shaking form and stared numbly at the ledge over which his oldest nephew had just disappeared. How had it come to this?

The rest of the Company stood silently, watching the two family members grieve for their fallen kin.  
The Goblin King also watched them, a malignant smile playing on his face.  
"Well, isn't that nice, he did the job for me" the Goblin King said airily. Hearing those words Kili jumped up, nearly knocking Thorin over and glared at the King. "Do NOT talk about my brother, you filthy piece of lowlife! Because of what you did to him, I will never see him again!" Thorin grabbed Kili's arm to try and control him, before he would do something stupid in the height of his grief.  
The Goblin King merely laughed his booming laugh, looking Kili right in the eye. He seemed to be deciding something. "Oh, I think you will see him again…" he said slowly. Kili's expression changed to one of utter shock.  
"What do you mean?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.  
"I think you would want us to retrieve his body, not? To bury… or to mourn over or whatever" the evil smile returned to the Goblin King's face, "and you will be coming along for the search. And so are you master Oakenshield".

Kili felt numb with shock. He loved his brother most in the world, but he had absolutely no wish to see his brother's body, undoubtedly scarred by the wounds of his fall. He wished to remember his brother the way he had always known him: mischievous and with a smile on his face.  
"No…" Kili said, panic sounding through in his voice. Thorin felt the muscles in Kili's arm tighten under his grip. He gently squeezed back.  
"Yes…" the Goblin King decided. "Prepare to go down!" he barked to a small group of goblins, who quickly came into action.

"I won't… I can't…I…why is he doing this? How can he be so cruel?" Kili whispered frantically.  
Thorin looked at his nephew sympathetically. "Kili, look at me" he said, "I know this is extremely hard for you, but I'll go with you. I will not make you do this on your own". Kili looked up at his uncle, eyes red. He nodded thankfully. At least there would be someone down there whom he could rely on.

The group of goblins returned to the platform, ready to go down into the darkness. They had brought torches and weapons. Thorin eyed them suspiciously. It appeared about ten goblins and the Goblin King would be accompanying Thorin and Kili down.  
It was at this moment that Thorin realized something. He cast a nervous look over his shoulder towards the rest of the Company. He caught Balin's eye, who seemed to understand his meaning immediately and gave a small nod in approval.  
"Take them to the cells" The Goblin King ordered the remaining group of goblins, who roughly took the rest of the Company away.

The Goblin King stomped in the direction of one of the wooden bridges that formed the way down. The goblins pushed Kili and Thorin in the back to get them going. Kili started walking hesitantly, but Thorin briskly took off after the Goblin King.

Over several more wooden bridges and rocky paths they kept going down ever further into the depths of Goblin Town.  
Kili felt his legs getting heavier with every step he took. His mind was racing. What would Fili look like when they found his body? Would he still look like his brother? Would they even find his body? He dreaded the moment they would reach the bottom of Goblin Town, for his part that moment would never come.  
Kili looked at Thorin's back, who walked in front of him. He could see that Thorin wasn't quite himself either. His let his shoulders hang down, head bowed a little and the usual pride in his stride was missing.

Way too soon for Kili they stepped off the last wooden bridge and onto the rocky bottom of GoblinTown. There was no light other than that from some torches hung on the wall and the ones the goblins were carrying.  
Kili froze. He did not want to move anymore out of fear of what they might find down here. Thorin, who had looked over his shoulder at his youngest nephew, had noticed. He walked back to Kili and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"I know… come on, you have to be strong now" he said quietly. Kili looked at him, sadness in his eyes. "I'm afraid…" he whispered. For the first time in his life, Thorin was genuinely lost for words. He merely looked sadly at his nephew.  
"I know…" he repeated after some time, "so am I". Kili felt extremely thankful his uncle was down there with him. He took a deep breath and marched on.

Looking into the vast, dark emptiness Kili felt a strange feeling creeping up on him. Somehow he felt his brother was close, either dead or alive. "Fili…" he whispered into the darkness, "I am here"… 

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Slowly he opened his eyes and looked right at… a fish. Why, in Durin's name, was he face-to-face with an ugly, slimy fish?! He tried to take a breath, but instead inhaled a lot of water. Coughing violently Fili threw himself upwards, breaking through the surface of the water. He thankfully gulped the fresh air into his lungs. His movements caused pain to shoot through his entire body, causing him to whimper.

His fall from the platform had been broken by an underground lake, most likely saving his life.  
Fili swam to the shore of the lake with all the strength left in his injured body. He dragged himself away from the water and onto the beach-like strip of sand.  
The water might have broken his fall, but had not left him uninjured. He was bruised all over, his arms were cut in several places from hitting rocks when he fell, his chest was agony from the blows with the mattock and his back and shoulders hurt from hitting the stone platform.

Exhausted he lay on his stomach in the sand. He had absolutely no strength left and was fighting to stay conscious. While dark spots blurred his vision, he laid his head down in the sand. Breathing deeply, he realized he would soon lose his battle… 

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	3. Chapter 3

Kili walked among the goblins in the ever-growing darkness. He stared intently into the black nothingness and he knew Thorin was doing the same. Kili looked at the Goblin King's back, who was walking up front. How he hated that creature, the creature that had killed his beloved brother…

The image of Fili letting go of the rocks and falling did not leave his mind. It repeated there over and over and over… Kili knew this would probably be haunting him for the rest of his life.  
He thought about the moment they would find Fili's body. What would he do? How would he react? He could not tell for sure.  
At some level Kili hoped to see his brother's familiar mane of blonde hair, but at the same time he feared to see it. He pushed the thoughts away, for he could not handle them. He let out a soft sob, Thorin being the only one to catch it.  
"Are you alright?" he asked his nephew, placing a hand on Kili's back. "No" Kili answered honestly. Thorin looked at him sadly, "please try to hold on…". Kili nodded. He knew his uncle was looking at him, but he did not look back, afraid he would have another breakdown. His uncle did not need to see that again.

For several minutes they walked on in silence. The only sounds coming from their footsteps echoing off the walls.  
They had reached the edges of an underground lake. Kili looked at the dark water, the lights of the torches reflected in it. For the first time since he saw his brother disappear, he felt a spark of hope. Could it be that Fili landed in this lake? If so, he could even have survived the fall… But, then again, the fall would probably have knocked him out. If he had then landed in the lake he surely would have drowned.  
Kili felt the last tiny bit of hope disappear entirely. He was now sure of it, his brother was no longer in this world… 

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Fili lay unmoving on the shore. He was so cold, his entire body ached. Every muscle screamed out in pain, every breath was agony. At this moment he just wished to pass out, so he did not have to feel the pain anymore.  
He closed his eyes. This was not how he had imagined he would die: on the shores of some underground lake in GoblinTown, alone. He had always imagined Kili to be there when he died. Kili… oh, how he longed to hear his brother's voice, see his face, feel his warmth.

Suddenly Fili's eyes snapped open. He had heard something. Had it been Kili's voice? No, surely not, his mind was playing tricks on him, Kili could not be here. Still, there it was again… Someone was calling his name.  
Fili tried to raise his head to have a better look at his surroundings, but his muscles would not cooperate with his mind. He heard the voice again, and now he was sure of it. It was his brother's.

All at once there was a lot of noise around him: footsteps, voices, hands touching him. Oh, how he wished they would stop touching him, for it hurt so bad. He closed his eyes again, afraid to see more goblins. Goblins that would inflict him even more pain.  
"Fili?" he heard a soft voice say hesitantly, a voice which he recognized out of thousands. He felt a warm hand on his back. "Kili…" he whispered back with great effort. Fili opened his eyes a crack and looked at his brother's face, concern written all over it. Fili felt relief wash over him. His brother was really there with him! And so Kili's face was the last thing he saw, before he finally lost consciousness… 

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Kili, Thorin and the goblins walked along the shores of the underground lake. Nothing could be seen besides the water, the rocks among the sand and the occasional bat flying overhead. No sign at all of a person having fallen to the earth…

Kili walked into Thorin's back, when all of a sudden his uncle had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at something in the distance. He followed his uncle's gaze and what he saw made him freeze with fear. There, about a 100 yards ahead, a dark form lay on the sand, just visible in the darkness.  
"Fili?!" Kili yelled, dodging the goblins trying to grab him and running towards the form on the ground, followed closely by Thorin and the goblins. With every step he took it became more evident to him that it was indeed his brother lying on the ground. There were drag marks visible in the sand. Something or someone had dragged him out of the water, or was it possible that he had dragged himself out? "Fili!" he yelled again.

Reaching his brother's body, he let himself fall to his knees beside Fili.  
"Fili?" he asked again. Fili lay on his stomach. The sleeves of his tunic were torn revealing many cuts and bruises on his arms, like he had clawed at the rocks to try and stop his fall. Kili did not even want to think about what Fili's chest looked like after the blows with the mattock.  
Carefully, he ran his hands over his brother's shoulders and back. Fili was icy cold and his clothes were soaking wet.  
Kili could not believe it: his brother was still alive! He could feel him breathing under his hand on his brother's back. "He's alive!" he called over his shoulder to Thorin. Fili stirred a bit upon hearing his brother's voice so close to him.  
"Kili…" he breathed out. Fili slowly opened his eyes and looked at his brother. A weak smile of relief passed over Kili's face. Fili let out a soft moan in pain, then his eyes fell shut again and he lost consciousness.

Kili softly ran his hand over Fili's back, careful not to hurt him. "It's alright, brother, I'm here. I won't let them hurt you anymore" he whispered. For several moments he just sat there. He could still hardly believe that his brother was really alive, even though severely wounded.  
A shiver went through Fili's unconscious body, pulling Kili out of his train of thought. He took off his cloak and draped it over his brother's cold body, hoping to give him some warmth.

Thorin knelt down next to Kili, looking down upon his oldest nephew's still form. He passed a hand over his face and let out a deep sigh. "At least he's still alive" Thorin said sadly, "for now…".  
He looked at the cuts and bruises on Fili's hands and arms and cursed softly.

For a long time Kili and Thorin just sat next to the unconscious Fili. Kili kept stroking his brother's back, assuring himself that his brother was really there and alive.  
Kili cast a glance at his uncle, for he was strangely quiet and still. He saw Thorin eyeing the goblins and the Goblin King suspiciously, who were standing together some feet away.  
"You think they are up to something?" he asked Thorin a little anxiously. He could see a stern, warrior-like look in Thorin's eyes and suddenly he could imagine his uncle as the battle-scarred fighter he was.  
Thorin took his time answering Kili's question. "No" he growled determinedly after a while, "but I am"…

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	4. Chapter 4

"What!" Kili whispered back urgently, realizing what Thorin was planning to do, "have you lost your mind?!"  
Thorin looked down at Fili, who had not moved an inch and was breathing as though it hurt him to do so. "Kili, your brother needs care. He needs to get out of here and we are the only ones that can help him at this point". Kili knew his uncle was right. He was silent for a moment, before finally asking "what do you want me to do?"

Thorin gave his nephew a little smile. "Look at what you're sitting on" he said softly. Kili looked to the ground. On the sand were rocks of all sorts and sizes, some large enough to inflict some serious damage and pain when thrown. "Rocks…" Kili whispered, knowing at once what Thorin was planning to do.  
"I need you in this" Thorin said, an unusual, nearly pleading tone to his voice, "your aim is perfect". Kili hesitated. He had seen what the Goblin King was capable of doing and, frankly, it had scared him.  
"For Fili" Thorin whispered, seeing Kili's internal struggle. Kili looked down at his brother taking those pained breaths and shivering occasionally from the cold. "For Fili…" Kili whispered back determinedly.

Thorin and Kili silently began picking up as many stones as possible, careful not to be noticed by the goblins.  
"Is Fili still carrying his spare knife under his tunic?" Thorin asked Kili suddenly. "Yes, he is" Kili answered, "but the goblins…". He stopped mid-sentence, for he could not remember the goblins actually taking that knife from his brother. It was hidden well out of sight in an inside pocket of his clothes.  
Very carefully he rolled Fili onto his side and stuck a hand down the front of his brother's soaked tunic, Thorin watching him expectantly. Kili gave a soft chuckle when he felt the handle of the knife. He slowly pulled it from under his brother's tunic, keeping his eyes fixed on the goblins who were standing in a circle some feet away, apparently discussing something. They did not seem to notice anything Thorin and Kili had been doing.

Once he had the knife, Kili looked down at his hands. They were bloody. The blow from the mattock must have broken his brother's skin. Thorin had seen it too. "We'll tend to him later, don't worry" he whispered, seeing the horrified look on Kili's face.

Thorin took a deep breath and Kili knew the time had come. "What's the plan?" he whispered. It took a moment before Thorin answered, "use the stones to take out the goblins, we will need the knife for the Goblin King". Kili handed Thorin Fili's knife, knowing his uncle would want to wield it.  
Both Thorin and Kili took as many stones in their hands as they could carry, many more stuffed in their pockets. "Are you ready?" Thorin asked. Kili looked down at Fili once again, then nodded.

As one Thorin and Kili jumped up, throwing as many stones as fast as they could.  
Like Thorin had expected, Kili's aim in throwing was as good as his aim with his bow. He had already taken down three goblins by landing the stones right on their heads, knocking them out instantly. Thorin felt his spirits rise: his plan might actually work!  
The Goblin King was infuriated by their escape attempt and came running for them. Thorin had been expecting this and was ready for the fight. He raised the knife when the Goblin King came close and sprang forward. At the same time the Goblin King lashed out with his staff. It hit Thorin in the shoulder, but he was still able to sink the knife deep into the Goblin King's stomach. The creature let out an enraged scream, swinging his staff at Thorin again. This time it hit him in the side of the head. Thorin fell to the ground, slightly dazed. He quickly scrambled to his feet, seeing the Goblin King coming towards him again, ready to deliver another blow with that ugly skull-staff.  
He braced himself for the impact with the Goblin King, knife at the ready. When the creature was close enough Thorin took an almighty jump and sank the knife till the hilt into it's chest.  
This time the Goblin King's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Thorin eyed him suspiciously, not letting his defences down, expecting another attack.  
The King swayed on his feet and finally, with an almighty crash, fell lifeless to the floor.

Kili, in the meantime, had taken out almost all the smaller goblins. Most lay unconscious on the ground, only one was still standing. Kili had picked up a weapon of one of the goblins, so he too was now armed.  
Seeing the two dwarves armed and their King dead, the remaining goblin turned on his heels and ran.

Thorin took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down after the fight. His head hurt from the blow, blood seeping from his temple. He wiped the blood away as much as he could, he didn't have time for this now.  
He jogged back to Kili, who had knelt down next to Fili again. "Come on, we need to go. That goblin will be back with reinforcements" Thorin told his nephew.  
Kili looked hesitantly at Fili. "Thorin, I… how do we take Fili?" Kili asked, realizing that every movement would hurt him badly. "I don't want to hurt him…" Kili added softly. "I am afraid you have no choice there" Thorin said softly, "but, he's unconscious, Kili. He will not feel much of it". Kili looked at Thorin, doubting what to do.  
"There will be thousands of goblins here soon, I wish to be gone before that time" Thorin added sternly now. Kili knew Thorin was right, they had to get out of there.

Kili quickly pulled himself together and with the help of Thorin picked Fili up from the ground as carefully as possible and managed to hang him over Kili's shoulder. Thorin looked at Kili questioningly."I'm fine" Kili said, seeing his uncle look, "I can handle this". Thorin held Kili's gaze for moment, then he smiled and for the first time since they had reached GoblinTown it was a real smile. "I know you can" Thorin told him, "you're strong".

"So…" Kili said, looking around in the darkness, "what way is out?" Thorin looked around too, "I have absolutely no idea…" . They both stood still, lost.  
"Let's go further ahead" Thorin decided, "I have not seen any paths the way we came from". Kili nodded, he hadn't seen anything either on their way down, so their hope lay in the other direction.

They set off immediately, walking further in the darkness. Thorin walked his usual determined walk again. Kili followed a little behind, walking more carefully. With every step he took he felt Fili's limp arms bump into his back. Strangely enough that feeling comforted him.

They walked for what felt like hours. They had taken several wrong turns, resulting in hitting dead-ends, but luckily they had not bumped into any more foes.  
Finally it seemed like they had chosen the right path. They could see daylight at the end. It looked like the sun had only just come up. Thorin let out a relieved sigh. "Daylight" he said, "let's go, the goblins won't come out in the daylight". For the first time since their escape Thorin and Kili broke into a run.

They stepped out of the caves, breathing in the fresh air and allowing the sunlight to warm them. As they stood there they were suddenly alarmed by the sound of twigs snapping. "Well, there you are…" a voice behind them said… 

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	5. Chapter 5

Thorin and Kili spun round. Thorin raised Fili's knife, which he was still holding, ready to fight off the enemy that was threatening them now. But there was no enemy at all…  
"Gandalf!" Thorin cried out when it appeared the old wizard had crept up behind them and spoken. He looked behind Gandalf and was stunned to see the rest of his Company and Bilbo too.  
"How did you get out?!" Thorin blurted out, astounded. "Gandalf got us out" Balin answered looking worriedly at Fili's limp form hanging over Kili's shoulder, " but we'll tell you our story later".  
"He survived the fall?" Bofur asked amazed, following Balin's gaze. "Yes" Thorin answered, "but we need to take care of him, he's quite severely injured. Let's go".

They walked several more miles to get as much distance between themselves and GoblinTown as possible. They did not want to run the risk of being surprised by the goblins after nightfall.  
Finally they spotted an abandoned cave, which was also conveniently hidden by some bushes.  
The Company waited outside until Dwalin and Thorin had made sure that the cave was indeed abandoned and safe for them to move into.  
"It looks fine" Dwalin said when they came back out. The Company reacted relieved. They could use a good rest after their scare in Goblin Town.  
"Look for wood and water" Thorin ordered falling back into his role as leader. Everyone hastily scattered in search for the necessary items.

"Kili, follow me" Thorin said to his youngest nephew.  
Kili obediently followed Thorin to the back of the cave. "You can lay him down here, this is the warmest spot in the cave. We will get a fire going close to him".  
Kili nodded and with some help from Thorin they were able to softly lay Fili down on his side on the ground. Thorin shook off his thick coat and draped it over Fili, making sure the fur would keep him warm.  
"When the others return with wood and water I will clean his wounds" he said.  
Kili just looked down at his brother, who still had not moved a muscle. "Thank you" he said quietly to his uncle. Thorin nodded his approval before standing up and letting the two young brothers alone for the time being.

"Fili? "Kili whispered when Thorin had left, "can you hear me? Please hold on. Help is on the way, you are going to be alright". Of course, Fili did not reply, but one of his fingers twitched slightly. Kili took it as a sign from his brother, telling him he had heard his brother's words and that he trusted him. 

* * *

The members of the Company walked back in one by one carrying logs of wood and canteens of water.  
They started two fires; one near the entrance of the cave where the Company sat around and a second one close to Fili, so they could provide him with some more warmth. Thorin immediately began boiling water to clean Fili's wounds, Kili watching him nervously. He knew his brother's wounds needed cleaning, but he was afraid to finally have to face the extent of Fili's injuries.

"Kili?" Thorin asked concernedly, for Kili had been staring into nothingness for some time now. "You don't have to be here for this, you know that, right? Thorin added. "No, no, I do need to be here… for Fili" Kili said softly. Thorin held his nephew's gaze for a moment, but could see that Kili had made his decision. "OK, here we go then" he said, taking a deep breath.

Thorin very carefully began taking off Fili's shirt. He actually felt a little afraid to touch his oldest nephew, knowing that every inch of Fili's being was hurting him. In the end he managed to bare Fili's chest without much difficulty. Seeing his brother's wounds, Kili felt his breath catch in his throat.  
There were dark blue and black bruises on Fili's chest and stomach, where the mattock had hit him the skin had broken. Some of the cuts on his arms were quite deep and dirtied by the sand, his entire arms covered in dried up blood.  
Kili felt tears well up, but was able to swallow them back. To hide his emotions he started stroking Fili's hair, which too was covered in dirt.

Thorin began cleaning the wounds with a cloth and warm water as gently as his rough hands allowed him to. Kili felt useless just sitting there stroking his brother's hair and watching his uncle. Making up his mind, he carefully took one of his brother's hands in his and picked up another cloth, dipping it in the warm water. Thorin cast him a look, but in the end nodded his approval.  
Kili began washing the sand and filth out of the wounds on his brother's arms. Fili's skin felt warm against his, a reassuring feeling. It meant his brother had not given up the fight just yet.

Together Thorin and Kili cleaned up and bandaged Fili's wound. Not once during this did Fili stir or give any other signs of coming close to consciousness again. On the contrary, Thorin had noticed sweat was standing out on Fili's brow and his skin was warm to the touch, too warm. It worried Thorin, but he did not mention anything to Kili. He did not want to send him into a panic attack.

Thorin rolled Fili onto his side again and covered him up with Kili's cloak and his own coat.  
"He doesn't look too good, huh?" Kili said softly to Thorin. He was no idiot. He too had noticed his brother's sweating and hot skin. "No" Thorin said honestly, "…keep him warm. For now there is nothing more we can do for him".  
Thorin placed a hand on Kili's shoulder as he stood up, "you did good today". Kili could not even start to describe what his uncle's words meant to him, so he just remained quiet.  
Thorin walked over to the rest of the Company and sat down with them, leaving Kili to be with his unconscious brother.

Kili sat back against the wall of the cave. He looked at Fili's still form lying on the ground covered up with the cloak and coat. His fingers were just visible sticking out from under it. How long would his brother need to recover? Would he ever fully recover? Kili did not want to think about it. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. He listened to the crackle of the fire and the soft murmur of the voices coming from the rest of the Company. Before he even realized it he had fallen asleep, exhausted from everything that had happened that day… 

* * *

Thorin sat down next to Balin. The grey-haired Dwarf looked at his leader's tired face. "He is a strong kid, he will recover from this" Balin said. Thorin merely passed a hand over his face, "tell me how you got out of GoblinTown. The short version please".  
"When you two went down with the Goblin King, we were thrown into a cell" Balin began. "We had just started planning possible ways to escape, when all of a sudden a blinding light force threw us and all the goblins to the ground. That was Gandalf with Bilbo. He got us out of those cells and, well, we fought our way out after that. Gandalf knew the exit where we bumped into you. We were just thinking of ways to free you two from the goblins, when you came running out by yourselves".  
Thorin looked in the direction of Gandalf, who sat smoking his pipe a little away from the Company. He felt extremely thankful towards the old wizard.

"Take your rest" Thorin said after some time to the Company, standing up. He walked back to his nephews and saw that Kili had fallen asleep sitting against the cave wall. He was glad to see that Kili had calmed down enough to be sleeping.  
Carefully Thorin shifted his youngest nephew and laid him down on the ground beside his brother and covered him up with one of the spare cloaks.

Next, Thorin ckecked up on Fili. His oldest nephew was still sweating and his skin had grown even hotter, the fever raging through his body. Thorin sighed miserably. "Come on, lad" he whispered to Fili, "you've got to fight for it, hold on in there". He then took up Kili's spot, with his back against the cave wall, and watched over his nephews as they slept… 

* * *

****

Thanks again for reading.  
All reviews are still appreciated. There is one more chapter coming up!  
:-)


	6. Chapter 6

Thorin awoke with a start. He didn't actually remember falling asleep…  
He yawned and looked around the cave. It had already turned dark outside and most of the Company were asleep. Only Bofur was still awake, silently smoking his pipe in a corner of the cave. Gandalf was sitting watch just outside.  
The fire at the entrance of the cave had nearly gone out, but the fire next to Fili was still going strong. It seemed someone had kept that fire from going out.

Thorin looked at his nephews, who lay just beyond his outstretched legs.  
Kili was sleeping soundly. He lay on his front, face in the direction of Fili's back, as if he had fallen asleep watching his brother. It looked like Fili had not moved at all and was still unconscious.

Thorin stood up to have a better look at Fili's condition. When he walked round to Fili's front he saw, to his surprise, that he had his eyes open and was awake.  
"Hey…" Thorin said softly, kneeling down next to him, "how are you feeling?" Fili shifted a bit and let out a soft groan in pain before he answered: "like that big, ugly Goblin-thing sat on me". Thorin couldn't help but chuckle at this.  
He carefully placed a hand on Fili's forehead. Fili was no longer sweating and his skin was cooler than before, but still warmer than it should be. "Your fever has come down a bit" he stated, "that's a good sign".

"How's Kili?" Fili asked his uncle out of the blue, voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper. Thorin looked over at Kili's peacefully sleeping form. "He's scared to death, but he'll be fine. Especially when he sees you are doing so much better". Fili smiled a little. He could hear his brother's slow breathing behind him, a reassurance to him that Kili was closeby.  
"Are you warm enough?" Thorin asked. "Yes" Fili answered quietly.  
Thorin could see his nephew was getting tired again. "Get some more sleep" he said, placing a hand on Fili's shoulder, "you need it".  
Fili looked gratefully up at his uncle. Slowly he closed his eyes and it didn't take long before sleep took him again.

When Fili had drifted off to sleep, Thorin walked to the entrance of the cave, not feeling like sleeping anymore. He would go keep Gandalf some company. 

* * *

"_Grab my hand!" he yelled, but it didn't matter anymore. His brother had already let go of the rocks and was falling into the darkness, away from him… He would never see him again, never hold him again, never hear his voice again… It felt as if his heart broke, was ripped out and stepped on all at the same time. He opened his mouth and screamed a terrible scream…_

"Kili, wake up! It's just a dream".  
Kili opened his eyes, realizing that he had actually screamed out. He was sweating and all tangled up in the cloak that covered him. With bewildered eyes he looked at Thorin, who had woken him up from that terrible dream after hearing his screams. "It's alright, it's just a dream" Thorin repeated. Slowly Kili came to his senses. "I'm sorry" he mumbled, sitting upright and burying his face in his hands. "Don't" Thorin said watching Kili sympathetically. "You have nothing to apologize for, you went through a great deal today".

Thorin and Kili sat in silence when they were startled by a groan from Fili. He, too, had woken up from his brother's screams and was now trying to sit up, but his painful muscles and fractured rib did not allow him to do so.  
"Fili!" Kili gasped out. He scrambled to his feet and walked around his brother so he was facing him.  
"Oh, thank Durin! You really are awake!" Kili blurted out. He wanted to hug his brother, but decided against that. Instead he sat down next to Fili and curled up his legs. Fili moved an arm with another grunt of pain and placed a hand on Kili's shin. "I am glad you are here, little brother" he said, before falling right back to sleep again. 

* * *

Fili was woken up the next morning by the Company having breakfast. He realized his hand was still resting on Kili's shin and that his brother had not moved an inch. He had kept watch over his older brother all night. Kili smiled down at his brother when he saw him awake.  
"Good morning" he said cheerfully. "Good morning" Fili answered, sniffing the air. The smell of meat hung all around the cave. "You hungry?" Kili asked his brother.  
"Starving actually" Fili answered. "Come on then" Kili said, offering his brother his help to get up.

Only sitting up already caused Fili to wince a couple of times, but he was determined to get up.  
Finally, with a lot of help from Kili, Fili managed to get to his feet. He shuffled slowly over to the rest of the Company, leaning heavily on Kili for support.  
Kili looked at his older brother on the short walk. Fili walked like a crippled old man, but at least he was on his feet. Kili could not even begin to describe how happy that made him feel. He realized how close he had been to losing his brother altogether the day before.

They sat Fili down on large rock which lay in the cave. He ate like a wolf and happily joined in the conversation with the rest of the Company.  
He was startled a little by Thorin, who suddenly hung his large fur coat over Fili's shoulders. Fili looked up at him questioningly. "You may be feeling better" Thorin said, "but you still have a lot of strength to regain". Fili smiled at his uncle gratefully and nodded.

Thorin sat down next to Kili. Together they watched Fili, who really seemed to be enjoying himself.  
"He was extremely lucky yesterday" Thorin said, "but he should be fine in a few days". Kili smiled a little, "it takes more than a foul-smelling Goblin King to take down my brother. Or me for that matter".  
Thorin chuckled, but he knew Kili was right. His nephews had definitely proven their strength in GoblinTown. They belonged on this journey and Thorin knew they would not let him down and stick with him till the end. No matter how bitter that end would be… 

* * *

**Thanks very much for reading. This was the last chapter, hope you enjoyed the story...  
All reviews are still appreciated :-)**


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